Persistent glitches in TN’s ration shops hassle poor & elderly beneficiaries

CHENNAI: Despite the Tamil Nadu government's repeated directives to streamline operations and ensure smooth distribution of essential commodities through ration shops, several systemic issues continue to trouble beneficiaries—particularly the elderly and economically vulnerable sections of the society.

One of the most pressing concerns involves the refusal of ration shop staff to recognise proxy family members, even in cases where the cardholder is elderly and physically incapable of visiting the shop.

The public distribution system's reliance on biometric authentication has further compounded the problem, with frequent fingerprint mismatches and technological malfunctions delaying or denying access to entitled commodities.

R Ramesh, a civic activist and resident of Old Washermenpet in Chennai, shared his ordeal with DT Next.

"My mother, R Shanthi, is over 80 years old and bedridden due to age-related ailments. After my father's demise, her registered phone number became defunct and was reassigned to Karnataka. When I approached officials at the Civil Supplies Department to update the number and authorise me as her proxy representative, I was told she had to appear in person—an impossible demand," he explained.

Ramesh also flagged irregularities at his local ration shop (Shop No. 004 - BF031 02BF031NC, TH Road, Old Washermenpet), accusing staff of distributing underweight and substandard commodities.

"Without the cardholder's knowledge or consent, staff bill items and divert them to the grey market. They are selling inferior quality products—last time, the sugar I purchased resembled crystallised lumps, almost like karkandu (rock sugar). They simply told me to grind it in a mixer. When I returned the product, they refused to refund me," he alleged.

He further highlighted the failure of biometric authentication systems.

"Even middle-aged consumers struggle with fingerprint scans. For the elderly, it's virtually impossible. No matter how much we try, the system doesn't register," he said.

When contacted, ration shop employee Vignesh defended the procedures: "The government mandates in-person visits to curb fraudulent claims. We don't supply substandard or underweight items—what we receive from warehouses is what we distribute. The allegations of selling in grey markets are baseless."

A senior official from the Food and Civil Supplies Department acknowledged the challenges.

"There are integration issues between Bluetooth-enabled weighing scales and POS machines. We have already requested the Union Government to ease the biometric norms. The fingerprint match accuracy threshold has been lowered from 90% to 60%. For those still unable to authenticate, iris-based verification is available. Moreover, we are exploring door delivery services for senior citizens unable to travel."

Meanwhile, the Madras High Court has issued notices to both the State and Central governments seeking responses to a plea by the Tamil Nadu Ration Shop Employees' Association, urging authorities to ensure proper weight verification of commodities dispatched from warehouses.